Sunday, January 24, 2016

Mama On The Run: Let the Training Begin (Again)!

It's my Type-A Mama on the Run dream - a training plan to follow!

After taking a few months off of any set training plan post-October marathon, I'm excited to get back into training mode tomorrow.

As I mentioned in my 2016 running goals post, this year is about focusing in on quality miles that hopefully lead to some PRs. My ultimate goal is to PR in both the 10K and half-marathon this year. I'm glad to get back to training for these races and to improve my speed and tempo paces instead of focusing on super-long training runs that were the reality in 2015 as I trained for two different marathons.

In order for me to go for a PR in my favorite Easter Run 10K race in March and half-marathon race in May, I'll need to do the following this training season:

Sleep! I'm aiming for a minimum of 7 hours of sleep most nights, but shooting for 8. This means turning off electronics or television at least 30 minutes before sleep-time and go to bed with a book, crossword puzzle, coloring book - anything relaxing that sends me off to dreamland.

Nutrition: Serious cut-backs on the sugar intake, which means backing off on my baking habit to the weekends-only. This is my main source of sugar, and there's nothing quite like cold, wintry days to make you want to bust out a couple dozen cookies. I'd like to keep baking, but need to reserve it to a weekend-only treat and include the kids more often so I'm less likely to eat the treats in front of them. I'm also continuing my two big glasses of water for every one cup of coffee and that's been going well. I haven't had a diet soda in weeks, so that's a plus, too!

Strength training: I've been in a strength training rut for months now and end up doing the same routine. Not good! I'm going through mile exercise clip book (yes, I'm nerdy like that!), and getting some new moves to use throughout the week.

Foam roll and core work: I drop the ball far too often on these two items. I need to foam roll to protect myself from injury and the same goes for the core! A strong back and core goes a long ways in speed, power, and protection from getting hurt.

So there you have it. Bring on Week #1 of half-marathon training and the refreshed mindset and goals that come along with it. It's almost like welcoming a new year all over again!